Path: news.cc.ic.ac.uk!sunsite.doc.ic.ac.uk!lyra.csx.cam.ac.uk!warwick!bradford.ac.uk!achwong
From: C.H.A.Wong@bradford.ac.uk (Andrew Wong)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.tv.uk
Subject: Ben Elton FAQ
Date: 7 Mar 1995 14:08:10 GMT
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BEN ELTON Frequently Asked Questions (v1.34)
============================================
Created and updated by Andrew Wong (achwong@bradford.ac.uk)
Contents
--------
1. Who on earth is Ben Elton?
2. What about some biographical information?
3. So what's he been in?
3a. Tours
3b. Films
3c. Videos
3d. Television
3e. Records/Tapes/CDs
3f. Books
3g. Books on audio tape
3h. Plays
4. Miscellaneous information
5. Things said in interviews
6. Press Release
7. Quotes from his act
8. Addresses
9. Contributions and thanks
1. Who on earth is Ben Elton ?
From the facing page of his latest novel THIS OTHER EDEN....
"Ben Elton is one of Britain's best known stand-up comedians. He writes
his own material and is also a successful television writer whose credits
include THE YOUNG ONES and BLACKADDER. He has also written two successful
West End plays, GASPING and SILLY COW. He hosted the TV series SATURDAY NIGHT
LIVE and is th author of two novels, STARK and GRIDLOCK, both best-sellers.
When not touring, Ben Elton lives in London."
2. What about some biographical information ?
He was born Benjie Ehrenberg on 3 May 1959, in Catford, south London. The
youngest of four, he went to 'posh old' Godalming Grammar school, wrote his
first play at 15, joined amateur dramatic societies and was inspired by Noel
Coward. He wanted to be a stagehand at the local theatre, but instead did
A-Level Theatre Studies and was sent to Manchester University (50 miles east
of Liverpool) in 1977 to study for a degree in drama. Rik Mayall and Adrian
Edmondson were in their final year of the Drama degree when Ben Elton arrived.
Upon graduation in 1980, he started on his career as a stand-up comedian, and
by early 1981 he had joined Rik Mayall and Adrian Edmondson at the Comedy Store
in Leicester Square, London. He was paid UKP 15 every time he performed his
comedy routine, and soon became one of the regular comperes.
Ben Elton now spends quite a considerable amount of time in Cottesloe, a cool
beach-side suburb of Perth, Western Australia. It's probably here where he
writes most of his novels. He's on Australian TV quite a lot, usually when a
new book comes out!
(from _The Times_ 5 June 1990:)
"... Elton comes from a distinguished academic family: his
father, Lewis Elton, is a physicist and was a professor at the
University of Surrey, and his uncle, Sir Geoffrey Elton, is a
professor at Cambridge.
His family came to England as refugees in 1938. His grandfather, Dr Victor
Ehrenberg, was a renowned classical historian who lost his professorship at
Prague when Hitler invaded. His sons were advised to change their German-Jewish
name on joining the British army. ... His main extravagances are his frequent
flights to Australia to be with his girlfriend, Sophie, who plays the saxophone
in an all-girl group. (the Boom Babies)"
He is now married to 25-year-old Sophie Gare, whom he met while writing STARK.
She is now his support act on his Australian tour. He still lives in London,
though apparently now spends more and more time in Australia (traitor... :-))
He's a strong supporter of the Labour Party (left-wing) in the United
Kingdom, and accompanied Glenys Kinnock for a while during the 1993 UK
General Election campaign, where he visited a farm in South Wales.
3. So what's he been in ?
3a. Tours
=========
In 1987 Rik Mayall and Ben Elton did a series of stand-up shows in Perth,
Western Australia. According to Des Shaw, Managing Director of Triple M (a
local FM radio station) the shows were at what used to be called Club 242 at the
Leederville Hotel in West Perth. During this period, Rik & Ben also did a
one-off evening radio slot at 96FM, during which they played Living Doll, and
did quite a lot of funny stuff live in the studio. He also met Sophie there, who
was then a member of the support band The Jam Tarts.
Between March and June 1993, he toured the UK with his new act, covering 40
dates. These dates invariably sold out, so he toured again between October and
December 1993. He toured a total of 112 dates, with an audience of around
200,000. He is currently taking the tour round Australia and New Zealand.
3b. Films
=========
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING (1993)
-----------------------------
He features in Kenneth Branagh's film version of the Shakespeare play as Michael
Keaton's sidekick, the silly policeman who hardly says anything (I think). The
film also stars Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson, Denzel Washington, Keanu Reeves
and Richard Briers. This film is now be available at your local video rental
store, and as a boxed set special edition.
3c. Video tapes available
=========================
THE VERY BEST OF BEN ELTON LIVE VOLUME ONE
------------------------------------------
A tape of his act, recorded live at the London Astoria 10 years after starting
up as a stand-up comedian. It includes the routines on YAPPY THE DOG, NOBS ON
THE BEACH, TITS, TAMPONS, A LOAD OF BOLLARDS...
It says on the video sleeve: "Immortalised on video for the first AND only
time, this is Ben Elton at his raucous best."
It was released by Virgin Video (catalogue number VVD 776) in PAL Colour format. Most of it had been previously transmitted on the British Satellite Broadcasting network. It lasts 90 minutes, and is rated 18. The director was Juliet May, the producer was
Paul Jackson and the executive producer was Phil McIntyre.
A FARTIES GUIDE TO THE MAN FROM AUNTIE
--------------------------------------
This is a compilation of the best parts from the first series to THE MAN FROM
AUNTIE, and includes the sketches on finding friendly terms for the female
front bottom, capped for England, Reality Gap, Setting Up Home and others..."
It's on BBC Video (catalogue no. BBCV 4677), and presumably available from
BBC Enterprises (tel. +44 (0) 81 743 5588), priced UKP 10.99
BEN ELTON VERY LIVE 1993:TOUR DE FORCE
--------------------------------------
This is a recording of a concert from his latest tour, filmed at the Leeds
Grand Theatre in May 1993. You can *JUST* spot me somewhere in the audience,
bottom left from the stage